Under the Tuscan Sun: Our "Down" Day

Sometimes it's nice to just take a day amidst the hustle and bustle of a sight-seeing vacation to relax and recharge your tired body. And that's exactly what we did on day 11 of our family vacation. Surrounded by olive trees and vineyards, our villa was the perfect place to unwind and enjoy each other's company without worrying about the train timetables and long touristy lines of the city. We spent the day lounging by our private pool, soaking up the Tuscan sun, and consuming insane amounts of pasta, wine, and cheese. It was pure Italian bliss!

The next day we woke up bright and early to enjoy our last sight-seeing adventure in Italy...Cinque Terra! 

Stay tuned, y'all!

Welcome to Italy: Our Tuscan Villa

The time had come for us to leave the land of lederhosen and travel to the country of wine and pasta!

ITALIA!

Just so you know, not a single one of us had ever been to Italy before, so this leg of our vacation was sure to be exciting...and nerve wracking. After living almost a year in Germany, D and I had grown accustomed to the culture and felt comfortable navigating around the country, even with our limited knowledge of the German language. But Italy was going to be another story. We knew no Italian, really didn't know many of the customs, and weren't sure exactly how the train system would work (in Germany it's FABULOUS...Italy, not so much). We brushed up a bit before leaving, but we were basically flying blind with 8 of our closest family members in tow. My anxiety level was sky high, to say the least. But I was determined to enjoy every second of our time in Italy...I'd be a fool not to!


We arrived at the airport early on a Monday morning to jet off to Bologna, where we'd start our journey to Tuscany (if you have to rent a car--and you will if you want to drive through Tuscany...and trust me, you'll want to drive through Tuscany-- fly through Bologna, it's SO much cheaper than flying into Florence!). We rented cars, loaded up the fam, and made the hour drive to Carmignano, Italy (30 minutes outside Florence) where our Tuscan farmhouse and gracious host, Barbara, awaited our arrival. This villa, Agriturismo Fuccioli II, was a dream. It had such Tuscan charm, hidden amongst acres of olive groves and lemon trees. Barbara and her mother (who spoke no English) greeted us with smiles and hugs, then showed us around our home for the next 6 days. It's like we'd all died and gone to Italian heaven.

I couldn't think of a more perfect place to start our adventure in Italy...could you?
Tomorrow, stop by and see the biggest gelato cone that ever was...oh and a recap of our day in Florence. 
There's a lot more Italian fun to come! :) 
Arrivederci!